Reflections of an old Indian Tribe

I was reminded today of an old friend, a gentleman I met in Nevada, an Osage Indian, who was aged when I met him. He had no idea of his age. When he was born, on the Indian reservation, in Oklahoma, there were no birth certificates, or any recorded data on his birth. So, he had no idea how old, he actually was. He returned to the reservation on one occasions, seeking the mid-wife who was at his birth, but unfortunately, she had passed away, a year or so prior to his asking.

He was in the lineage of an Indian, Masaqua who was of the Siouan descent in the tribe, who had moved the tribe from the Ohio River Valley to Osage County, Oklahoma. Masaqua was a tribal leader, and was in reality, the Chief of one tribe and a descendant of Shonka Sabe (Black Dog) who was Chief of the Hunkah division of the Osage tribe.

I knew him as Bill, and we often talked of his life on the reservation that he knew before moving to Nevada. He often spoke of his tribal leader then, Akecheta Tallchief, a man he had tremendous respect for. Bill said he remember spending many hours in his Teepee, sitting around a fire, listening to stories related by the tribal elders.

He said that one he always remembered was of Akecheta speaking of the affection and love he had for his squaw, his wife, greatly respected and admired by all in the tribe, lovingly named, Five Horses. The story of her name was beautiful. The horse was revered and respected in the tribe, and its grace and beauty, those qualities were all seen, in his love, his squaw, his wife, Five Horses.

Bill recalled that many years later at a tribal Council in Norman, Oklahoma, he told of again, sitting around the council fire, listening to the tribal elders and their stories of ... legends and stories of how it was on the reservation.

Bill said he sat there, rapt attention, listening, and during a slight pause, he asked Chief Akecheta, "I have always wondered, why was your squaw wife, named Five Horses.

"Akecheta, with a tear in his dark, deep eyes, looked at me at calmly said, Nag, Nag, Nag, Nag, Nag."